Child abuse allegations rock Danish town in Thomas Vinterberg’s Cannes entry ‘The Hunt’

CANNES, France – Thomas Vinterberg is aware his new movie, “The Hunt,” may touch a raw nerve. Several, in fact.

The Danish director’s Cannes Film Festival contender – the story of a small-town witch hunt triggered by a child’s allegation of abuse – takes in sensitive subjects including masculinity, male-female relations and the presumed innocence of children.

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The film stars Mads Mikkelsen as a kindergarten worker ostracized from his close-knit community after he is falsely accused of abusing a pupil.

Vinterberg said that in Denmark “we have a saying that children and drunk people always tell the truth. We are saying that this is not always true.”

Vinterberg made his Cannes debut in 1998 with “Festen.”

“The Hunt” is one of 22 films competing for the festival’s Palme d’Or.